Time shifting by simultaneously recording and playing a data stream

Abstract

A video stream may include portions that are stored while other portions are being displayed. In one embodiment, a portion of the video stream may be stored in digital storage media at one instance while in the next instance another portion of the stream is being read out of the storage media.

1 - 25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . A method comprising: 
 selectively displaying a video stream from storage or without storing said video stream, depending on a time delay.    
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26  including: 
 when the time delay is greater than a threshold, displaying a video stream from the storage; and    when the time delay is less than the threshold, displaying the video stream without storing said stream.    
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 26  including allowing portions of the video stream to be alternately written to and read from the storage device and storing in a temporary buffer the next portion to be written to the storage device while another portion is being read from the storage device.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 26  further including allowing one or more portions of the video stream to be read from the storage device to retrieve the video stream with one or more time delays that are user-specified.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 26  wherein storing the video stream further comprises allowing the video stream to be compressed prior to writing the video stream to the storage device.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 28  wherein displaying the video stream from the storage device when the time delay is greater than the predetermined threshold comprises decompressing the video stream after retrieving the video stream from the storage device.  
   
   
       32 . An article comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a computer to: 
 selectively display a video stream from storage or without storing said video stream, depending on a time delay.    
   
   
       33 . The article of  claim 32  further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to: 
 when the time delay is greater than a threshold, display the video stream from the storage; and    when the time delay is less than the threshold, display the video stream without storing said stream.    
   
   
       34 . The article of  claim 33  further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to allow portions of the video stream to be alternately written to and read from the storage device and storing in a temporary buffer the next portion to be written to the storage device while another portion is being read from the storage device.  
   
   
       35 . The article of  claim 33  further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to allow one or more portions of the video stream to be read from the storage device to retrieve the video stream with one or more time delays that are user-specified.  
   
   
       36 . The article of  claim 33  further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to compress the video stream prior to writing the video stream to the storage device.  
   
   
       37 . The article of  claim 34  further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to allow portions of the video stream to be displayed from the storage device when the time delay is greater than the predetermined threshold comprises decompressing the video stream after retrieving the video stream from the storage device.  
   
   
       38 . A system comprising: 
 a storage to store a video stream;    a controller to selectively display a video stream from said storage or without storing said video stream, depending on a time delay.    
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 38  said controller to display the video stream from the storage when the time delay is greater than a threshold, and when the time delay is less than a threshold, said controller to display the video stream without storing said stream  
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 38  including a display.  
   
   
       41 . The system of  claim 38 , said controller including a temporary buffer and wherein said storage stores instructions that enable the controller to allow portions of the video stream to be alternately written to and read from the storage and store in its temporary buffer the next portion to be written to the storage while another portion is being read from the storage.  
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 40  including said controller to allow one or more portions of the video stream to be read from the storage to retrieve the video stream with one or more time delays that are user specified.  
   
   
       43 . The system of  claim 41  wherein said controller to allow the video stream to be compressed prior to writing the video stream to the storage.  
   
   
       44 . The system of  claim 41  wherein said storage decompresses the video stream after retrieving the video stream from the storage when the time delay is greater than the predetermined threshold.